When two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot rejoined the Chicago Sky in a free agency move, it was a dream come true. “Having two post players like that, young stars, is a point guard’s dream,” Vandersloot said, expressing her excitement about playing alongside Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso this season. For her, it was those two additions that fueled her return after spending the first 12 seasons of her career with the Sky. But ultimately, it was new head coach Tyler Marsh who truly convinced the Gonzaga alumna to return to Chicago. But have the expectations really been lived up to?

Thursday night, the Sky suffered their second straight blowout loss of the season—this time at the hands of the reigning WNBA champions, the New York Liberty. Led by trade acquisition Natasha Cloud and star guard Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty never gave the Sky any breathing room and sank a WNBA-record 19 three-pointers en route to a 99–74 road victory.

Chicago, unfortunately, found themselves on the wrong side of history, starting their 2025 campaign with a -60 point differential—the worst through the first two games of a season in WNBA history, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

New York jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first half. And to their credit, the Sky made a valiant third-quarter comeback attempt. But the offensive struggles persisted. Star rookie Angel Reese went ice-cold from the field, finishing 0-for-8 while converting just 2-of-6 from the free-throw line. She did grab 12 rebounds—eight of them offensive—but managed only one assist. It was the first game in her young WNBA career where she didn’t make a single field goal. So when the game ended, Vandersloot, the seasoned veteran, didn’t hold back.

“A lot of them are just dumb plays. Offensively, we haven’t found a groove yet—[we’re] a little out of rhythm. It will come with time; we have to work on our chemistry offensively,” she shared.

The Sky’s offense indeed looks disjointed and directionless. There are set plays, yes, but no go-to scoring option has emerged yet. The team hasn’t decided whether the offense should flow through Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, or Ariel Atkins.

Often, the issue isn’t even shot selection—it’s getting a shot off at all. The Sky committed 23 turnovers on the night, many of them unforced. Even when they did find decent shooting looks, too many possessions ended before they began due to miscommunication. That lack of offensive cohesion directly impacted the defense. New York capitalized with 27 points off turnovers, constantly punishing the Sky in transition. This can’t continue if Chicago has playoff aspirations.

So, Vandersloot didn’t just reflect on what went wrong—she also explained why. “We are trying to figure out spacing. We haven’t figured out how we can position our post players so it benefits us,” she said.

That spacing issue is painfully evident in both shot selection and ineffective post play. Take Reese, for example. Despite her relentless work on the glass, she shot 0-for-8 from the field and never found her rhythm. The same can be said for Cardoso, who managed just 3-for-8 shooting and six points in 23 minutes. Neither player was able to establish a consistent interior presence.

The stats reinforce Vandersloot’s point. Against New York, the Sky scored just 22 points in the paint, down from 26 in their opener against Indiana. Clearly, the Sky’s offensive scheme isn’t creating clean looks for their bigs or opening driving lanes. They’re packed in tight, often getting in each other’s way instead of stretching defenses.

So what’s the solution?

The Sky need more from Ariel Atkins and Kia Nurse

Before the season even tipped off, Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca made it clear: Kia Nurse was one of the most important offseason additions. Head coach Tyler Marsh doubled down on that theme, pointing to Ariel Atkins as a vital piece for what she could become on offense.

“We know who she is defensively, and that’s been the calling card for her since she’s been in the league,” Marsh said before the season began. “We have a lot of trust and faith in that area. But we also see a lot more room for potential on the offensive end. We want to put her in positions where she’s able to be that dynamic scorer and utilize that at all three levels.”

The intention was clear: let Nurse and Atkins stretch the floor, make defenses pay from the outside, and create breathing room inside for Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso to go to work. It sounded good on paper. But so far, that vision hasn’t materialized on the court.

Atkins, expected to grow into a go-to scorer, finished Thursday night’s blowout loss to the Liberty with just eight points. More problematic, she picked up four fouls by the third quarter, which kept her glued to the bench for long stretches—precisely when the Sky needed her most.

Nurse, meanwhile, looked more comfortable pulling the trigger on open looks against New York, but she just wasn’t connecting. When she’s missing, defenders sag off, and that collapses the spacing for everyone else. And that’s the heart of the problem. This is a Sky team that invested in Nurse and Atkins specifically to improve their spacing—to stretch defenses, open driving lanes, and free up the paint for their young bigs. That hasn’t happened.

They have pieces with potential. And for Chicago to flip the script on this rough start, execution needs to start on the perimeter. There’s still time. The season is young. But the Sky don’t have the luxury of waiting.